Posts published in “Day: August 14, 2008”

HIGHLANDS  Ever since Brett Marshall was seven years old he has dreamed of playing for the New York Yankees. Now, he might just get that chance.

Last week Marshall signed a contract with the Yankees worth over $1 million. A pitcher, Marshall was selected by the Yankees in the 6th Round of this years draft. He was the fourth pitcher taken by the Bronx Bombers and the 200th player overall.

Mother Elaine Marshall said they knew the Yankees were interested even before the draft. In March, scouts watched Marshall pitch against Atascocita. Marshall was impressive on the mound, with his fastball clocked between 94 and 95 mile per hours and his slide coming in between 84 and 88 miles per hours.

A scout wrote that Marshall was very competitive on the mound allowing just three hits and striking out seven in seven innings. Marshalls name in certainly on the rise, the scout wrote in the report.

He (Brett) has lived and breathed Yankees since he was seven years old, Elaine said. It was just amazing, like a dream come true.

Marshalls baseball career started with the Highlands Little League at age six. From there he went on to Sterling where, as a senior, he recorded a 10-2 record with 116 strikeouts over 89 innings.

His parents Elaine and Eddie Marshall are well known in the community. In addition to running Crawford Cleaners, they are both active in the Little League and Miss and Jr. Miss Highlands Pageants.

Marshalls contract includes an $850,000 signing bonus plus $200,000 for education expenses. Had he not signed with the Yankees, he planned to study business and economics at Rice University on a baseball scholarship. Having signed the contract he is now ineligible to play college ball.

On Aug. 7 Brett flew out to Tampa Bay to join the Yankees minor league team for the rest of the season which will end in September. After that, his mother said, he will probably be sent to Hawaii to play in an Instructional league.

In January he will return to Tampa Bay for a minicamp before Spring Training.

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If youre an investor, you may have been disappointed with how the markets have been reacting this summer to the news of high oil prices and other short-term events. Nonetheless, your long-term financial goals dont have to be jeopardized by these losses  if you know how to respond to them.

Here are a few moves to consider:

 Stick to your investment strategy. Its almost always a bad idea to make long-term investment decisions in response to short-term market fluctuations. If you have built a diversified portfolio of quality investments, youre better off just staying the course during a market decline. (Keep in mind, though, that diversification, by itself, cannot guarantee or protect against loss.) If these investments were suitable for you before the market drop, theyll still be appropriate when the market turns around.

 Dont try to time the market. It would be great if you could know when the market had reached its low or high points, or which days would be losers and which ones winners. If you hadthat foresight, you could always jump in and jump out of the market at the right times. Unfortunately, no one can make those predictions with any accuracy. And those people who do try to time the market in this manner end up jumping out at the wrong times and missing both short- and long-term market rallies. By staying invested through market ups and downs, you can make progress toward your longterm goals.

 Look for buying opportunities. By definition, a market decline means that stock prices are lower  which means you may find some good buying opportunities. Of course, youll want to know if the stocks price is low because of the effects of the broad-based market decline or because of other factors specific to the stock, such as poor management, non-competitive products or a decline in the industry to which it belongs.

While making these moves can help you get past the market decline, it doesnt mean that a severe price drop cant affect you. If you need money to pay for an unexpected cost, such as a major car repair, youll likely take a hit if you have to sell stocks when the market has fallen substantialaly. But you can avoid this problem by putting three to six months worth of living expenses in an emergency fund, preferably in a cash or cash equivalent account.

Nobody likes to see big declines in the stock market. But if youre a long-term investor, youve built an emergency fund and youve rebalanced your portfolio to fit your risk tolerance, youll be in a much better position to withstand these market drops  and youll be well prepared for an eventual recovery.

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CHAMBERS COUNTY – The Chambers County Democratic Party will be accepting resumes from those interested in being considered for the Democratic Party nominee for District Clerk on the November ballot.

The Chambers County Democratic Party will accept resumes from those who wish to be considered for the nomination until 5 p.m. on Aug. 17. The resumes needs to include your biographical information, community experience including any elected offices held and a short essay on why you should be the nominee.

The resumes can be mailed to the Chambers County Democratic Party, P.O. Box 1936, Winnie, TX 77665, hand delivered to 12527 Fm 1663 RD, Winnie, TX 77665, emailed to maryhamm @chambersdemocrats.com or faxed to 713.583.9624. The Chambers County Democratic Executive Committee will interview the applicants before making the selection for their nominee for the November ballot.

If you have any questions you can call Mary Hamm at 409.454.3493 or email maryhamm@chambersdemocrats.com.

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Dog Days of summer ends this week but do not expect cool weather anytime soon.

Dog Days are when it is the muggiest and hottest time of the year or so says Webster; tis between July and September.

The grown ups talked of Dog Days as I recall, mostly while on the front porch rocking and waiting for a cool breeze. Spoke of tending to a cut or scratch during the period for wounds would not heal as well or quickly. Reckon with all the heat, and sweat, bacteria tend to fester like a risen.

An interesting topic of conversation would always come up. Out on the Liberty Hill Road, we would hear the car coming way before it got to us, then, it would go by with a big trail of red dust to cover the kudzu.

Out there in the evenings, we would have to sit around back due to the sun being in front of the house. Ate a lot of watermelon back there in those wooden Adirondack chairs.

Grandpa would roll a smoke with the OCB leaves and bacca from the red Prince Albert can or from the marble sack. The stank from the tobacco was very strong. He mostly smoked the pipe, probably because it was not as messy.

Ma Pearl always wore an apron that proved useful in her many chores through out the day. Many a dozen eggs were gathered and taken to the house in that old apron.

Grandkids would sneak up and untie the apron and sometimes a wet dishrag would come flying by his/her face to stop the aggravation of untying the apron.

The apron too was used as a sweat rag while in the kitchen bending over the hot stove.

It too was useful for carrying fruits and vegetables from the garden to the house and basement.

Chickens would come up when she would go outside with an apron full of bean or pea hulls after the shelling has been completed.

The apron was used as a signal to wave at Grandpa when it was time to eat.

The apron served many purposes and fortunately I have several of those aprons but they have shrunk over the years.

You think an apron is full of germs? I think not, about all I got out of rubbing up in front of an apron was a nice hug.

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The staff of the Liberty County Office of Emergency Management would like to thank the citizens of Liberty County for preparing for Tropical Storm Edouard. We wer fortunate that the storm did not intensify and simply made its way across the county without causing much damage.

Members of our fire departments, emergency medical services and law enforcement were all prepared for the event. City and county officials communicated well, and had this storm created serious problems in our county, it was obvious that these officials were concerned with the safety of their citizens and were ready to respond.

The next storm may not be so kind to us, so please continue to be vigilant. We cannot control Mother Nature, but if we respond as we did in this event, we will be ready for whatever comes our way.

The vaccine is also available for individuals 13 to 64 years of age with a $30 fee for the flu vaccination and $40 fee for the pneumonia vaccination. Payment by check or cash is required at the time immunizations are administered. Registration begins Tuesday, September 2.

All participants are required to sign a medical consent form. Immunizations are provided to children ages 13 to 18 years old who have previously received flu immunizations. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

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BAYTOWN  Baytown Little Theaters production of Chicago, which opened August 1, features local Crosby talent. Alexandra (Alexx) Guinn, CHS class of 2007, plays Hunyak, the only innocent woman in the cell block.

Guinn, who also sings and dances in the chorus, enjoys her role. The most challenging part of this role was learning and memorizing my speech in Hungarian, she said. Its a fun show!

Guinn has performed in community theater since she was in ten years old and was last seen in the CHS production of Beauty and the Beast.

Chicago will continue at BLT through Aug. 17.

Tickets for the show, which is almost sold out, can be bought online at www.baytown.littletheater.org.

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HIGHLANDS – Last week Congressman Gene Green, chairman of the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, was in east Harris County to tour the waste pits on the west bank of the San Jacinto River near IH-10.

In March Green and U.S. Rep Ted Poe were successful in having the Environmental Protection Agency recognize the dangers of dioxin in the San Jacinto River and a waste pit near the I-10 bridge was placed on the National Priorities List for Superfund Site cleanup.

Green said that he was concerned about the impact the chemicals have on the residents who use the river recreationally. The waste pits are contaminated with polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins, commonly called dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, commonly called furans.

Today, I urged the EPA to move as quickly as possible with their cleanup procedure, he said.

Green said that when he returns to Washington he intends to holds hearings on the progress of cleanups of this and other Superfund sites.

The pollution came from a paper mill waste site used in the 1960s and 1970s and now abandoned. Scientists knew for many years that pollution levels in the San Jacinto River were high, but they didnt know why until recently when they discovered the pits.

Before remediation can begin on the site, the EPA must complete a feasibility study and design a plan to correct the measures.

The EPA says that they are working to determine whether, under current conditions, there are an potential or actual human exposures to contamination at this site.

The State of Texas, has already determined this to be true. Wildlife in the area, including fish, has become contaminated with the pollutants, which can cause cancer and other health problems in humans. Despite posted warnings, some area residents continue to use contaminated parts of the river as a food source.

The EPA should take any action to reduce the risk now while the long term cleanup is ongoing, Green said. Again, we deserve better than a sign telling us we should not eat the fish and crabs from our rivers.

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The Gene Green Beltway 8 Park designed to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient had its namesake, Congressman Gene Green, D., 29th, cut a ribbon, make speeches and fire off contributed fireworks on 8/8/08.

The park not only features kids adventure playgrounds but skateboard, BMX bicycle tournament course, BMX freestyle area, splash park, ampitheater, tot lot, basketball and tennis courts. Garcia opened her remarks with I am proud to open this park for East Harris County and all the people of this region in partnership with Harris County Public Parks.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Sylvia Garcia dedicated the park to her one time political rival. This park was truly Green, it was designed to standards of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (the latest in energy efficient building design) in offices, restrooms and amphitheater. Native plants are part of the landscape to capture and conserve water.

The new park is the first in Harris County to include an American Bicycle Association sanctioned BMX track. The park sports a skate park for the skateboarders, a spray park, a hiking trail, a soccer field, a general use sports field, a baseball field and an amphitheater.

The 230 acre park is the first undertaken by the Commissioner since she took office in 2003 and required partnering with Harris County Flood Control District. All of 173 acres are dedicated to public park facilities. remaining acres are open to the public as undeveloped green space. The park is under evaluation for certification in the LEED program. LEED is sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council in an effort to develop an internationally recognized standard for earth friendly design and construction. Recycled building materials were used in construction of almost all the features in the park as were innovative storm water management.